Angels and Demons
by empty8
Summary: Chapter 2: Elena and her friends think they are safe, and the nightmare is over, but are the forces that be done with them yet?
1. Chapter 1

Angels and Demons

By, 2280

Elena wrapped the towel around her head and flipped upwards. She knew she ought to turn the fan on, but the steam on her body felt heavenly after spending so much time in limbo. She leaning across her bathroom sink and wiped the steam off of the mirror. Blue eyes framed by a pink towel with blond hair peeking out gazed back at her.

It had been a couple of months since her miraculous 'return'. At first it was a miracle, but now people had begun to forget, to create 'reasonable explanations' for what had happened. They had finally settled on Elena having been in a coma, hypothesizing that she may have a heart condition that slowed her pulse down to the point where it was undetectable.

Elena shook her head, she had a heart condition all right, but it was probably still sleeping in his apartment across town. Either way it didn't really matter. She was back, she was human, and she was with the people she loved. People could say anything they wanted as long as that didn't change. 

She took the towel of and squeezed some more water out of her long blond hair before she picked up a comb and started to work through it. She was meeting Bonnie and Meredith today at the mall. They had decided that after everything that had happened they needed some wind down time and shopping for school cloths seemed like the perfect thing. 

So what if it was only mid-June? Elena was halfway through with her summer schooling so she could graduate and then they were all going to go to the University of Virginia. Summer school, it made her want to cringe. She had come back from the dead and they still made her go to summer school, sometimes she just didn't get any respect.

There was a tap on the door and her sister's voice echoed through the wood. "Bonnie's here 'lena." She called.

Elena smiled, she had missed her sister so much, there were times when she just wanted to hold her, to always keep her safe; but she knew the danger was gone now. Katherine was dead, Damon was gone, and the nightmare was over.

"Tell them I'm drying my hair and I'll be right down." Elena called back, throwing her towel in the hamper and picking up her dryer.

Downstairs Bonnie and Meredith sat in the old fashioned living room and chatted with Elena's aunt. She had recently married her long time boyfriend, finally giving Elena's little sister a father figure. 

It had taken awhile to get acclimated to having Elena back, but now it was as if those horrible months had never happened. Elena was finishing school, they were planning for college, everything was going as it should be. For all purposes everything was perfect. There were a few differences of course. Elena and Matt were no longer dating; instead it was Bonnie and Matt. Caroline wasn't around anymore either. After the episode in the woods she had decided to go to school in California and had left immediately, saying she needed a change of scenery. They didn't really blame her, and even after all the horrible things she had done to them, she had atoned for it in the end and they missed her.

Bonnie jumped up when she heard Elena coming down the stairs.

"Oh my god, I got a flyer in the mail the other day, and they are having SO many amazing sales, it is gonna be such a blast. I'm sure your going to be glad to get something new, after all everything you have is from last year." Bonnie squeaked as Meredith came up behind her and kicked her in the ankle. Realizing what she had just said and what it meant, Bonnie blushed.

"I mean, everyone likes new cloths. Right?" she added lamely, giving Meredith a cross look.

Elena rolled her eyes, "your right Bonnie, I can't wait. So how about we blow this popsicle stand, pick up Stephan, and get on the road?" She smiled.

In a cloud of chattering and laughs the three girls headed towards Meredith's car.

******************************

Sarah leaned against the counter, this sale was a killer and she wondered for the hundredth time why she was working here. Oh yeah, college money so she would never have to work in retail again. She plastered a smile on her face as another customer came up, asking them if she could help them find anything.

The man she addressed turned to look at her, fixing his large gray eyes on her. He was tall, almost 6 feet, with silvery grey hair. It seemed odd to Sarah that such a young man had gray hair but she figured he must just have a lot of stress in his life. She knew what that was like.

"Perhaps," the man's voice was soft, almost velvety. "I'm looking for something in particular."

Sarah felt her smile become strained, "Well what are you looking for?"

Sarah's eyes widened as he reached forward and took a lock of her long brown hair in his fingers, rubbing it between them. What was with this guy? Hadn't he ever heard of a personal bubble?

"I'm not sure yet, perhaps you can help me find it though."


	2. Chapter 2

Sarah looked at the man, flipping her hair and pulling it out of his hand

Chapter 2

Sarah looked at the man, flipping her hair and pulling it out of his hand. What was this guys problem?

"Well _sir_," her voice became strained, "why don't you have a look around and tell me what you like and then I can have a better idea of what you're looking for."

The man smiled at her, his eye's gleaming as he nodded and turned in one fluid motion to survey the line of sweaters he had no interest in buying. This one was more difficult than the rest, but that only made it more of a challenge.

In the parking lot Meredith, Bonnie, Elena, and Stephan all piled out of Meredith's car. Stephan looked like he wanted to kiss the ground, sitting in a car with three giggling girls for a two hour drive was not his favorite way to spend an afternoon. Elena gave her friends a suffering look as she rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek, letting him know she was glad he came, even if they teased him the entire way down.

"Come on," Elena whispered into his ear, "it will be fun, I promise. We can go into Victoria's Secret if you'd like."

Meredith rolled her eyes as she saw a smile cross Stephan's face; men were all the same, even if they had been around for centuries.

The quartet walked through the mall, looking in the store windows, deciding on which stores they wanted to go into and which they didn't.

"I _have_ to get a pair of those boots!" Bonnie exclaimed, pointing to a pair of knee high black leather boots in a store window. "They will, like, go so perfectly with the pants I saw a few stores down!" She rushed into the store, leaving an exasperated Meredith to chase after her.

"Which store was that," she muttered, "I lost count."

Stephan chuckled to himself as he watched Meredith's dark head trying to keep up with Bonnie's shorter curlier head. The girl had more energy than anyone he knew; too bad she couldn't bottle it and sell it. She'd make a fortune.

"See anything you like?" He asked, watching Elena sort through the racks at a much slower pace than her friend.

Elena shrugged, "jeans, shirts, it all pretty much looks the same." Then she looked up and saw a long ice blue dress across the isle and her breath caught in her throat. She gravitated towards it, taking the soft hand painted silk in her hand and letting it run through her fingers. It was beautiful; she didn't have any idea where she would wear it though.

"Nice isn't it? We just got it in yesterday." 

Elena turned to see a sales girl with brown hair, a pleasant smile, and a nametag that said Sarah looking at her.

"It's beautiful, but where would anyone where something like this?"

Sarah smiled, this girl had good taste, and if she could convince her to but the dress she could make a fat commission to boot. "Well, if you really like it then why does it matter _where_ you wear it? Do your laundry in it if it strikes your fancy!" Elena smiled back at her and laughed imagining anyone doing laundry in a hand painted silk ball gown.

"I wish." Elena said, releasing the gown.

"It would be a shame to let such a beautiful gown go to waste, it belongs on a beautiful body." A voice said from behind them. Sarah felt her neck crawl as she turned to see the man from earlier eyeing the girl with the dress up. The nerve! It was one thing to bug her, but to chase off her customers too, well that was something she just couldn't tolerate.

"Have you found something in the store you would like to purchase?" There was an edge to Sarah's voice as she struggled to maintain a bit of civility.

"I think I have found something that interests me, yes." The man replied, not taking his eyes off of Elena.

Stephan had been watching this, and seeing that the sales girl was not having much luck dispensing of the man he walked over. "Everything all right?" He put his arm around Elena and looked at the man.

Grey eyes lifted to meet his green ones and Stephan felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to rise, something wasn't right with this man and he needed to get these women away from him now. 

"I saw a sweater over here that you would like," he turned to look at Sarah, "why don't you come with us?" He forced his will upon her and she nodded slowly.

The man looked between the three people and his eyes narrowed, his prey wasn't going to get away that easily. He reached out and took Sarah's arm, "actually I found a couple of things I like, I was hoping you could help me pick out the perfect gift for that special someone."

Elena felt Stephan's arm tighten under her hand, something was wrong. She watched as the girl nodded and it was then that she saw the familiar glazed look in her eye as she turned to follow the gray eyed man down the isle.

"Stephan, what's going on?"

His lips drew into a thin line. "I'm not sure yet, but we had better find Bonnie and Meredith."


End file.
